Recently, various electronic image-forming means have been developed and the image qualities thereof have been compared with those of silver halide photographic materials. Also, as the result of the comparison, the high image quality and the easiness of the silver halide photographic material have been newly recognized. Accordingly, it has been investigated to use the silver halide color photographic materials not only for a printing material of a photograph but also for a hard copy material of an electronic image. In such a circumstance, the investigations of improving the sharpness and the color reproducibility to further increase the image quality of the silver halide photographic material and improving the processing time and the processing process for imparting the easily quick processing to the silver halide photographic material have been positively made. As to the increase of the easiness and quickening of processing, by the progress of an easy quick processing system as shown in a mini-laboratory system, print photographs having a very high image quality have been supplied relatively easily, in a short time, and at a low cost. Furthermore, by using a silver halide emulsion having a high content of silver chloride, it has been made to greatly shorten the processing time and to improve the processing deviation.
As a means for improving the sharpness of a silver halide photographic material having a reflective support, various means have hitherto been known. Examples of the means are 1) the prevention of irradiation by the use of a water-soluble dye; 2) the halation prevention by the use of colloidal silver, a mordant dye, a solid fine granular dye, etc.; 3) the increase of the filling ratio of a white pigment in the laminated resin on a paper support, etc. The dye being used for the purposes is, as a matter of course, required to not give bad influences on the photographic properties such as fog, etc., and is required to quickly be decolored in the photographic processing steps. Furthermore, it is preferred that the dye is completely decomposed in a processing liquid and does not give bad influences such as coloring, etc., to the processing liquid.
As the dyes meeting the aforesaid condition, the pyrazoloneoxonol dyes described, e.g., in British Patent 1,338,799, JP-A-63-264745, JP-A-1-196033, JP-A-2-93534, and JP-A-2-97940 have been found.
However, since the dyes are insufficient in water solubility and the molecular weight thereof is increased owing to the dissociative group bonded thereto, there is a problem that the diffusing property in the photographic layers is low, whereby a sufficient decoloring property is not obtained.
It is disclosed in JP-A-3-156452 (the term "JP-A" as used herein means an "unexamined published Japanese patent application") that the sharpness of a silver halide photographic material is greatly improved by increasing the content of a white pigment in a waterproof resin coated layer at the light-sensitive layer coated side of a reflective support. Furthermore, JP-A-4-256948, etc., disclose a reflective support having two or more polyolefin layers each having a different content of a white pigment. It has been found that by the foregoing constitution, the amount of a white pigment can be reduced while keeping the sharpness of the silver halide photographic material, which is advantageous in cost.
Also, EP 0,507,489(A1) discloses a reflective support using polyester in place of a polyolefin as the waterproof resin forming the coated layer and laminated with a mixed composition of the polyester and a white pigment. It has been found that in the case of using the laminate of the mixed composition of the polyester and a white pigment, the content of a white pigment is more increased as compared with the case of using a polyolefin as the waterproof resin and that the laminate is very effective for improving the sharpness of the silver halide photographic material.
However, there occurs a new problem that when a pressure such as a scratch, etc., is applied to the silver halide photographic material using the support wherein the content of a white pigment in the waterproof resin coated layer thereof is increased, a fog is liable to form at the pressed portions. Also, it has been found that the problem becomes more serious in a silver halide emulsion having a very high content of silver chloride.